Eye implant approved by Scottish Medicines Consortium

Article

Ozurdex has been accepted by the Scottish Medicines Consortium for use within the NHS in Scotland.

Ozurdex has been accepted by the Scottish Medicines Consortium for use within the NHS in Scotland.

Allergan announced the approval of the dexamethasone intravitreal implant for patients with macula oedema following central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).

In a trial of 1000 patients Ozurdex was proven to increase vision by 15 letters or more on an eye chart in 29% of macular oedema patients. Some patients experienced these improvements for up to six months.

Patients in England and Wales already had access to Ozurdex, meaning the decision is important for Scottish macula oedema sufferers. Consultant ophthalmologist surgeon, Forth Valley NHS Trust, Mr Tariq Saboor, said, "The availability of a licensed, effective and now SMC accepted treatment is a significant step forward for management of RVO patients in Scotland. Having access to a treatment that tackles the significant inflammation and swelling resulting from blocked retinal veins is good news for my patients. The fact that the treatment only needs to be administered up to every 6 months is also a significant advantage.”

Recent Videos
Anat Loewenstein, MD, speaks about the 22nd Annual Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting in February 2025 and shares her global forecast for AI-driven home OCT
Sarah M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, a veterinary ophthalmologist at UC Davis, talks about how her research at the Glaucoma 360 symposium
I. Paul Singh, MD, an anterior segment and glaucoma specialist, discusses the Glaucoma 360 conference, where he participated in a panel discussion on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in glaucoma care.
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, discusses his Floretina ICOOR presentation topic, retinal non-perfusion in diabetic retinopathy, with David Hutton, editor of Ophthalmology Times
Elizabeth Cohen, MD, discusses the Zoster Eye Disease study at the 2024 AAO meeting
Victoria L Tseng, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology and glaucoma specialist, UCLA
Brent Kramer, MD, of Vance Thompson Vision speaks at the 2024 AAO meeting
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.